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DSU student receives Congressional Gold Award

During a special June ceremony in Washington D.C., Senator Tom Daschle thanked Dakota State University student Carrie Larson, of Mitchell, for her dedication to service, and congratulated her on the personal achievements that earned her the Congressional Gold Award.

Larson will be a junior this upcoming year, majoring in E-Commerce, with minors in Computer Information Systems, The Center of Excellence and Business Administration.

Larson became interested in community service at a young age, participating in girl scouts.

“When my dad retired from the Marine Corps during the summer before my senior year (high school), we moved to Mitchell.  I’d been in Girl Scouts since Daisy scouts, and I was still interested in being in a troop when we moved,” said Larson.  “The troop I joined was just starting to look at something called the Congressional Award.  We decided we’d try to do as much together as we could.  There were three different levels of the award - bronze, silver, and gold.  You had to be 18 to start working on the gold and then you had to spend at least two years on it before you finished.”

Daschle, who presided over the ceremony, said the prestigious Gold Award is presented by Congress to young people who set challenging, but achievable goals in the four areas of public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition and exploration.

 “To get the gold, I needed to have 400 hours of community service, 200 hours of personal development, 200 hours of physical fitness, and then plan and carry out a 4-night expedition/exploration,” said Larson. “I could only have four different activities for community service, two different activities for personal development, and two different activities for physical fitness. 

For community service, Larson chose girl scouts, boy scouts, The Salvation Army, and public schools. For personal development, she chose cross-stitching and music, and for physical fitness, she chose weight lifting and track.

“It took a lot of work and a lot of encouragement to finish,” said Larson. “I didn’t realize going into it exactly how much work it was going to take. Somehow, though, I managed to get it all finished, signed, filled in the paperwork, and got it sent off in time.  I still don’t know how I did it.”

Daschle said that while working to earn the award, young people become aware of their potential and value in society and develop a sense of responsibility and practical life skills.

"The Congressional Gold Award highlights the efforts of some very remarkable young people," Daschle said. "This is a tremendous achievement, and Carrie ought to be proud of her accomplishments. She has challenged herself and inspired those around her to make her community a better place. Carrie embodies the spirit of service and leadership, and I commend her for all she has done."

Larson was joined at the ceremony by seven other South Dakotans, including her sister Jessica, who had also earned the award.

The Gold Award was established by Congress in 1979 through bipartisan legislation. The program is open to any person between the ages of 14 and 23.

*Parts of this story were taken from South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle’s Office press release*